Device for keeping index cards



1963 SVEN-OTTO DUBOIS 3,073,050

DEVICE FOR KEEPING INDEX CARDS Filed Sept. 9, 1960 Patented Jan. 15, 1963 3,073,050 DEVICE FOR KEEPING INDEX CARDS Sven-Otto Dubois, Geijersgatan 21D, Uppsala, Sweden Filed Sept. 9, 1960, Ser. No. 56,088 1 Claim. (Cl. 40-124) The present invention relates to a holder for index cards or the like wherein the cards are supported in partially overlying relationship by a plurality of tongues or fingers which are integrally formed from a single base sheet to which they are all connected at theirlower ends, with the upper tongues partially surrounding the lower tongues except at their base portions when the cards are removed.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 687,481 filed on October 1, 1957, now abandoned.

Devices which are in common use at present for bold ing index cards, with their top edges visible, have the disadvantage that they are bulky. They hold a number of cards which is relatively small in view of the small thickness of the cards. The main reason is that the means for fastening the cards are, as a rule, more voluminous than the Cards themselves. By the aid of the device of this invention, this disadvantage is avoided and provision is made for keeping a great number of index cards within a relatively small space, and this in such a manner that the upper edge portions of all of the cards will be readily visible at all times.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein the single FIGURE is a front view of an embodiment of the invention with the two central or lowermost fingers bent to illustrate details of construction.

As shown in the drawing, the card holder consists of a single sheet of plastic material 1 which is cut along an inverted generally U-shaped line 2 to define a central finger 3. The bottom of the central finger 3 is integral with the sheet 1, the lower ends of the line 2 terminating slightly above the bottom edge of the sheet 1. Surrounding the central finger 3, there is an inverted generally U-shaped tongue 4 which is defined by cutting the sheet 1 along a line 5 just outside the line 2. The lower ends of the line 5 terminate somewhat upwardly from the bottom edge of the sheet 1 with respect to the lower ends of the line 2. An outermost tongue 6 is defined by cuts along an outermost lines 7 and a line 8. Intermediate the tongues 4 and 6 there is a series of similarly shaped lines 9 along which cuts are made to define a series of intermediate tongues 10. Adjacent lateral edges of the central finger 3 and all of the tongues 4, 6 and 10 are in substantially continuous direct contact with each other when the holder is empty.

All of the lines have similar contours so that all of the tongues are similarly shaped. All of the inverted U-shaped cuts have a common axis of symmetry. The free apical ends of the central finger and all of the tongues are rounded and bent outwardly at about 45 as indicated at 11 to form guide tabs which facilitate the insertion of a card beneath the central finger or any desired tongue. The roots of the tongues are progressively spaced at distances from the bottom edge of the sheet 1 which are greater for the outer ones of the tongues than for the inner ones, so that the top edge portions of cards inserted under adjacent tongues will be staggered and fully exposed individually to view. The legs of the tongues and the finger are also gradually tapered upwardly, as shown, to provide inherent greater flexibility toward their apical ends and greater strength toward their bases.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and it is intended that such obvious changes and modifications be embraced by the annexed claim.

What is claimed is:

A card holder for holding a plurality of cards comprising a fiat rectangular sheet of flexible material having a resilient central finger for the outermost card and a resilient tongue for each of the other cards, said finger and tongues being defined in said sheet by a series of generally inverted U-shaped cuts with a common axis of symmetry, the adjacent lateral edges of said finger and tongues being in substantially continuous direct contact with each other when said holder is empty, the innermost out defining said central finger and the remaining cuts defining generally inverted U-shaped tongues each having an apical end and leg portions with downwardly progressively increasing spacing therebetween from said apical end, said leg portions having their lower ends integral with said sheet and being located, for successive tongues, at progressively increasing distances outwardly from said common axis and upwardly from the lower edge of said sheet with respect to the lower end of said central finger, whereby the top edge portions of rectangular cards inserted under adjacent tongues will be staggered and individually exposed to view, said finger and tongue leg portions being of downwardly progressively increasing width to increase the flexibility of the upper portions thereof and the strength and rigidity of the lower and base portions thereof to prevent breakage at said base portions, the apical ends of said finger and tongues being rounded and bent outwardly from the plane of said sheet to form parallel guide tabs for facilitating the insertion of the cards under said finger and tongues.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,310,468 Best July 22, 1919 1,676,492 Goodwin July 10, 1928 1,876,207 Davis Sept. 6, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 912,801 France May 6, 1945 1,011,400 France Apr. 2, 1950 

